


Run Now, Celebrate Later

by frith_in_thorns



Category: Wolf 359 (Radio)
Genre: Ep 57 tag, Episode Tag, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Minkowski sounded pretty dreadful at the end of that ep, she needs ALL THE HUGS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-30 02:09:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12643989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frith_in_thorns/pseuds/frith_in_thorns
Summary: (Episode tag written directly after ep 57, beware SPOILERS.)"Two… weeks?" Minkowski tries to focus her memories. They're bright and — jangly — and her head is suddenly in danger of splitting open.





	Run Now, Celebrate Later

**Author's Note:**

> No offence to the considerable trauma suffered by any of the other characters, but I felt a particular need to write Minkowski hurt/comfort.  
> Also I'm using this for the "experiments by evil scientists" square on my [hc_bingo card.](https://frith-in-thorns.dreamwidth.org/154806.html)

Pulling herself through the dimly-lit ducts is a motion so familiar to her body as to be almost entirely automatic. She grasps a handhold and pulls, grasps a handhold and pulls. The walls and panels blur together in one steady stream of movement, and she half-closes her eyes to try and stop them aching so much.

She stops when she barrels into Lovelace, who had stopped first. They're in a junction, a four-way crossroads widening the space around them. She has no idea whereabouts in the station they are.

" _Finally_ ," Eiffel says, and knocks the breath out of her with a wholly unexpected bear-hug. "Commander! Ohmygod Commander, you have _no idea_ how happy I am right now. I thought you were gone!"

It takes her a second to remember to respond, and then she hugs him back. "Eiffel, what — You were — The star —" She pulls back a bit. "What the hell _happened_?"

"Rather a lot," Lovelace says. She looks tired. And there's Jacobi, looking on edge, and Eiffel —

"Eiffel, you're bleeding!"

He looks down at his arm in some surprise. It's clearly been bleeding for some time. "Oh, yes," he says. "Forgot about that."

"I've got it," Lovelace says. She pulls a miscellany out of her pockets — ration bars, flashlight, a bandage. "There, I thought I had one. I grabbed some stuff that was in arm's reach."

Minkowski drifts out of the way, feeling like she's floating through fog. She presses her hands against her temple, trying to clamp down on the pain that's radiating out.

"Commander? Are you okay?" Eiffel asks, worriedly. He tries to turn towards her, but Lovelace clamps him irritably in place.

"Headache," she says. It's getting worse now that she's not focused on their flight, throbbing along with her pulse.

"Yeah, I had that too when I busted out of the mind-control," he says. "Sucks, but it should go away soon."

That gets her attention. "Mind control?"

"You know, the last two weeks? Do you remember?"

"Two… weeks?" She tries to focus her memories. They're bright and — jangly — and her head is suddenly in danger of splitting open. She dry-heaves.

Jacobi makes a horrified noise. " _Do not_ let her puke in here, that'll be disgusting."

"God, Jacobi, would showing a little human sympathy kill you?" Eiffel demands.

"Yep," Jacobi deadpans.

There are hands on her, pulling her own hands away from her face. "Come on, Minkowski, I just want to get a look at you," Lovelace coaxes. 

"It wasn't this bad for me," Eiffel says. "Jacobi, what about you?"

"No, it was over pretty quick," Jacobi concedes. "Must be because of Pryce."

"What did Pryce do?" Minkowski demands. She hates how thin her voice sounds.

"Oh, you know, just possessed you," Jacobi says, lightly. "Took over your body, used your voice, was about to make you walk out of an airlock."

"Geez, talk about a sledgehammer approach!" Eiffel snaps.

Lovelace's hands are tight on Minkowski's shoulders. Minkowski tries to meet her eyes, but an explosion of sparks inside her head whites out her vision.

"We're taking a break," Lovelace says. "Jacobi, Eiffel, figure out where we are, but stay out of the main station structure."

Jacobi sighs loudly. "Does that really seem like a good idea? We should —"

"This isn't a debate," Lovelace says. "Minkowski needs to rest. Look at her."

"I can go on," Minkowski insists, though in reality she's less than sure.

"Shut up," Lovelace says. "You're white as an eggshell. Close your eyes, try and sleep for a bit."

Closing her eyes is a relief. But the sensation of being untethered sends her flailing for a handhold within a few seconds.

"I've got you," Lovelace says, quietly, and loops an arm tight around her.

\- - -

She wakes up screaming.

Or, she thinks she screams, but then there's something blocking her mouth and she gags instead, her body spasming.

"Minkowski, shh, it's me. It's just me."

She goes limp, and the hand over her mouth is cautiously removed. "Eiffel?" she mumbles.

"Hi, Commander. How are you feeling?"

She sits up — the duct is just high enough to allow it. There's no one else in sight. "Where are the others?"

"Off scouting." Eiffel folds himself next to her. "We've had no contact with the Final Five so far, we're keeping our fingers crossed."

Minkowski nods, distractedly. Her dream dissolved the moment she woke, but now it's coming back in colourful flashes, formless as yet. The pain in her head is down to a dull ache at the base of her skull, but she feels… weird. "Did I really — Did Pryce —" She chokes.

"Hey, don't freak out. It's okay now." Eiffel puts a hand on her shoulder.

 _His hands up — her hands around his neck — trying to_ kill _him —_

"Minkowski?" His voice is coming through water.

She lifts a hand towards him and he _flinches_ and tries to hide it and she tries to _keep breathing_ through the cacophony breaking out in her skull — a flood of memories all at once and she doesn't want them, she doesn't want any of them.

"Eiffel," she croaks. "I… hurt you." She's sure she'd see bruises on him if there was more light.

"It wasn't you," he says. "None of it was your fault, okay? _You_ didn't do that."

"I…" She presses her fingers into her eyelids. 

"Hey." He pushes up against her. "Do you want a hug?" He doesn't actually wait more than a couple of seconds before he hugs her anyway. She almost objects — she's his commanding officer, she doesn't need _hugs_ — but then she realises that he's shaking slightly. _He_ needs this. She lets herself carefully lean against him, and hugs him back.

They both stiffen at a noise. "It's just me," Lovelace calls, quietly, and Minkowski relaxes.

"Hi, Captain," Eiffel says. "The Commander's awake." He pauses. "Well, sort of."

"I am," Minkowski says.

"Good." Lovelace lets go of the bag slung over her shoulder and crouches next to them. She frowns at Minkowski. "She looks slightly less awful."

"Again, I'm right here," Minkowski says.

"Sorry," Lovelace says. "You look slightly less awful."

"Thanks."

"Is it time to be moving on?" Eiffel asks.

"Soon," Lovelace says. "Just waiting for Jacobi. _Don't_ make that face, Eiffel." She nestles up on Minkowski's other side. "He won't be long."

Minkowski lets herself gradually relax between the two of them. Lovelace's arm comes up around her shoulders.

"You know," Eiffel says, "We're all still alive. And not brainwashed."

Lovelace snorts.

"I'm just saying," he persists. "Maybe we should take a moment to celebrate."

"That seems a little premature," Lovelace says. "We're playing cat and mouse with some of the most dangerous people in the galaxy, with basically no resources and no real plan."

"Believe it or not, I've noticed," Eiffel retorts. "Which is why we should take that moment _now_ , before our inevitable horrific death."

Minkowski laughs. "I agree," she says. "And… thank you. For rescuing me."

"You're welcome," Eiffel says.

Lovelace reaches across Minkowski to slap him. "Excuse you, she was talking to me."

"No, she was talking to both of us."

Minkowski's eyes still ache, but she keeps them open. She doesn't want to see more visions from her memories — she wants to see that her crew members are right there next to her. In a minute she needs to pull herself together, to help make plans, but she privately agrees with Eiffel. She needs to take this moment first.

It'll be time to run again soon.


End file.
